Watercolor on Yupo
Dry Country
Playing on yupo is fun and you have to accept the unexpected! This painting began as a landscape and then developed into a desert so I decided to add some thirsty looking trees and an animal resembling a camel. That led to the name “Dry Country.”
This painting was pure fun! I used yupo which is a synthetic paper made from polypropylene. I poured and sprayed paint and inks over “spider web” until I was satisfied with the distribution and amounts of color. The more you study it, the more things you find in it. The result is marvelous texture and definitely is a departure from my usual painting style.
Entangled
One of my grandsons was mad about fishing. This painting, now his own, is amusing rather than realistic. When the medium yupo becomes dry, a wet brush will lift off any paint that is already there and dry. This worked well to lift off bubbles and other spots to catch the light.
Fish Gossip
This piece hung among others in my doctor’s office for many weeks. One day I was waiting what seemed like an eternity for my time with the doctor. While waiting, I jokingly said to a staff member, “which painting will you be taking home” to which he replied “this one because it’s my wife’s birthday this weekend! “ I am not normally so cheeky but that day it paid off.
June’s Joy
Visiting my sisters in the UK, we all took a walk beside the tidal river that leads to the English Channel. It is a peaceful place to live with lots of parking for boats to rest. The yupo medium tends to make its own way across the slick plastic surface and nothing looks perfect. Some find that very intriguing.
On the Water
I laid a sheet of yupo on the table and sprayed plain water on it. Very randomly, I sprayed a bit of red, deep blue, and yellow individually with the idea to create the look of an ocean wave. A bit more of the three colors together formed the rocks. I walked away and let it dry. The paints and water did their magic! No brush, pencil required.
Salt Water Foam
I love the versatility of watercolor and this one is painted on yupo. The moisture you add does not soak in and takes time to air-dry. This creates some dynamic textures. Painting on the slick surface of yupo is a great way to loosen up- it simply cannot be controlled and is the perfect answer for allowing the painting to guide what to do.
Summer Sensation
I laid a sheet of yupo on the table and sprayed plain water on it. Very randomly, I sprayed a bit of red, deep blue, and yellow individually with the idea to create the look of an ocean wave. A bit more of the three colors together formed the rocks. I walked away and let it dry. The paints and water did their magic! No brush, pencil required.
Trio
Walking along the west coast trail near Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, I was astounded to find this contorted tree. Nature is extraordinary at times. I started with painting the background on yupo, setting in surrounding growth and warm light. Because yupo is not paper but rather plastic, I was able to lift off some of the paint to create this amazing subject looking quite like the original tree trunk.
